Genelec 8361A Review (Powered Monitor)

[dfuller]

Though those probably are not SAM monitors, just powered analog, correct? The capacitors in those are probably nearing EOL (end of life). With the SAM-based monitors, we have two concerns, primarily the DSP practical functionality lifespan and then the amplifier side.

Yeah they're 1031As. But changing electrolytic caps out is not a big deal and is something that has to be done with... Anything, really.

 

[Chanur]

Its nothing to try, 51s is the end game for desktop.

Do you mean the 8351 or something? I'm not super familiar with their model structure.

 

[tmtomh]

Do you mean the 8351 or something? I'm not super familiar with their model structure.

Yes, he means the 8351b. I have a pair of those myself, although I use them for mid/far field listening (about 2.75M) - not an entirely @dfuller -approved use case for those, but I love them anyway.

 

[Chanur]

I think 10k speakers are a bit much for my computer desk.

 

[Sancus]

Lol as an owner of 8351, 41, and 31s I think the 51s are a bit absurd on a desk(and yes ive seen the photo of someone using 8361 at a desk...). If you want to upgrade further past 8331s you should get subs and learn to configure them right or get the GLM Genelec ones. That will do way more for you.

Bonus is that I've seen 8331s heavily discounted as new and for sale used more than any of the other models.

 

[Holmz]

Does not work this way.

But I think it does… Maybe not the wave equation, but a thing called reciprosity.

 

[Heinrich]

I think 10k speakers are a bit much for my computer desk.

Each? Depends.

That also has a bit to do with fan culture, and with a cultivated ignorance about pretty much everything that actually matters. That’s why I asked earlier whether—and if so, in which parameters of objective quality—Genelecs represent the end of the line, and above all whether equivalent loudspeakers even exist, and if so, what a concept like “equivalence” could meaningfully refer to. Quite obviously, that question was a bit too deep. It was deflected and shut down using the usual rhetoric.

But I think it does… Maybe not the wave equation, but a thing called reciprosity.

It’s the Green’s function. The same one is used for evaluation in the Klippel NFS. It may well be that @napfkuchen has encountered problems with it in his own practice, but he isn’t forthcoming about them. His mere “nay” will have to suffice for the time being.

 

[Goldhamster916]

The Blade 2 meta are phenomenal

Yeah best speaker I have ever heard. There is some discussion that the side mounted driver cause some directivity issues in the lower midrange though. They seem to be a tad more dynamically capable compared to the genelecs. The dispersion is even smoother and more constant albeit rising which is an other point of discussion if that’s actually beneficial or not.

 

[Chanur]

Each? Depends.

That also has a bit to do with fan culture, and with a cultivated ignorance about pretty much everything that actually matters. That’s why I asked earlier whether—and if so, in which parameters of objective quality—Genelecs represent the end of the line, and above all whether equivalent loudspeakers even exist, and if so, what a concept like “equivalence” could meaningfully refer to. Quite obviously, that question was a bit too deep. It was deflected and shut down using the usual rhetoric.


It’s the Green’s function. The same one is used for evaluation in the Klippel NFS. It may well be that @napfkuchen has encountered problems with it in his own practice, but he isn’t forthcoming about them. His mere “nay” will have to suffice for the time being.

I'm not going to spend that kind of money for speaker computers. My home theater is in the same room. That was my point. You also were very unclear in what you were looking for.

 

[Heinrich]

I think 10k speakers are a bit much for my computer desk.

... mhh talking about a computer desk.

I'm not going to spend that kind of money for speaker computers. My home theater is in the same room. That was my point. You also were very unclear in what you were looking for.

Right, that's reasonable resource management.

On the second part, I honestly don’t even know where the problem is. I mean, if two speakers score pretty much the same on the Olive score, both are coaxial designs, they’re of comparable size, and for good bass (room influence) you’re going to want subwoofers anyway, then why not go with the ones that cost only a tenth as much?

That was the question about criteria for “equivalence.” One should recall the “circle of confusion.” It is precisely there, right at the very beginning, that the question of equivalence arises. The question has essentially been answered conclusively by Toole and Harman overall, although it remains open how achievable output level and the stereo effect should be factored in.

What is happening now is that a comparatively very expensive model is being endowed, here and now, with almost mystical qualities that no longer have any real point of contact with the technical process of sound recording and production in the studio. Ironically, the very technical qualities being highlighted are ones that can be achieved with a small twist of the equalizer—or through appropriate design of the listening room.

I’m sorry if I addressed you personally. It was just the image of a user putting these things on their desk—okay, you’re not doing that, obviously—that was so grotesque in its ignorant decadence that I couldn’t help myself. I should probably ask myself why I now consider this image to be plausible at all.

 

[Mort]

Did you get beaten up on the playground by a Genelec?

 

[Esprit]

always worry about how long active speakers will last. Spending 5k on a speaker that stops working after 3 years would make me insane.

Aside from the fact that my monitors are 10 years old, it's easier to find spare parts and repair a professional product than a home product.

 

[Mort]

A decent used price: Two individual 8361a. one and two used for $8700 together. One could negotiate both a little lower I would think. Used genelec are a fantastic value.

 

[Pearljam5000]

A decent used price: Two individual 8361a. one and two used for $8700 together. One could negotiate both a little lower I would think. Used genelec are a fantastic value.

Damn

 

[__egn]

A human (me 166cm) for reference
the 8381a’s are big! Visited the Genelec Experience Center in Seoul!

Wish this was my setup

 

[Pearljam5000]

A human (me 166cm) for reference
the 8381a’s are big! Visited the Genelec Experience Center in Seoul!

Wish this was my setup

View attachment 502305View attachment 502308

Can you describe the sound?
Thanks

 

[__egn]

Can you describe the sound?
Thanks

I honestly wish I had more time in the room to listen to a wider range of content and configurations, so this can only be a brief impression.

Two channel stereo was by far the most enjoyable and impressive setup. I did not get a chance to switch on/off the two 7870 subs, but I did manage to switch from Dolby Atmos (7.4.1) to Stereo (2.0 with bass management). Definitely preferred the two channel stereo presentation.

Music with the 8341s:
The first thing that struck me was the center image - how intimate each track felt. When I closed my eyes, I could be convinced sitting front row at a concert, with someone singing 2m away from me, and an entire instrumental section spanning wide.

Second is the effortless bass. Of course I pushed it up to it's limits, and it did not break a single sweat! No straing or sense of limitation.

Lastly, when switching to Dolby Atmos, I felt like the experience worsened. The center W371a + 8351a just sounded different, that I was able to notice. I cannot determine why, and I will resist speculation as to why, but just sounded dull(?).

I visited the Tokyo Genelec Experience Center last year, and had listened to a stereo W371a + 8351a setup (with subs) - I did think back then, how could you beat this...a year later Genelec did just that!

Movie with Dolby Atmos:
I watched a few scenes from Top Gun Mavrick via Apple TV. The bass suffered, and GLM was indicating the subs were peaking. I'm not sure what sub-20hz ATV's version of Top Gun had, but it couldn't keep up.

Probably an unfair review / opinion but when you're use to reproduction setups (IMAX theatres or bespoke homet theatres), this setup leaves much to desire when it comes to the chest thumping bass...and honestly in live music / musicals theatre etc.

The immersive feel of Dolby Atmos: Precision > Immersion - you could point where things were exactly. Definitely what you want for a production environment.

Final Thoughts:
Would have been great to test side-by-side-by-side: 8341s, W371a + 8351a, and 8351a setups (with and without bass management), to really understand the nuances and differences each product / combination brought to the listening experience.

My friend who was with me, who has zero training / experience in critical listening said, with a smile on his face to one of the K-Pop songs we listened to "I've never heard this song like this before". This comment alone made me realise how much I take this stuff for granted, and what I am able to come home to.

 

[Pearljam5000]

I honestly wish I had more time in the room to listen to a wider range of content and configurations, so this can only be a brief impression.

Two channel stereo was by far the most enjoyable and impressive setup. I did not get a chance to switch on/off the two 7870 subs, but I did manage to switch from Dolby Atmos (7.4.1) to Stereo (2.0 with bass management). Definitely preferred the two channel stereo presentation.

Music with the 8341s:
The first thing that struck me was the center image - how intimate each track felt. When I closed my eyes, I could be convinced sitting front row at a concert, with someone singing 2m away from me, and an entire instrumental section spanning wide.

Second is the effortless bass. Of course I pushed it up to it's limits, and it did not break a single sweat! No straing or sense of limitation.

Lastly, when switching to Dolby Atmos, I felt like the experience worsened. The center W371a + 8351a just sounded different, that I was able to notice. I cannot determine why, and I will resist speculation as to why, but just sounded dull(?).

I visited the Tokyo Genelec Experience Center last year, and had listened to a stereo W371a + 8351a setup (with subs) - I did think back then, how could you beat this...a year later Genelec did just that!

Movie with Dolby Atmos:
I watched a few scenes from Top Gun Mavrick via Apple TV. The bass suffered, and GLM was indicating the subs were peaking. I'm not sure what sub-20hz ATV's version of Top Gun had, but it couldn't keep up.

Probably an unfair review / opinion but when you're use to reproduction setups (IMAX theatres or bespoke homet theatres), this setup leaves much to desire when it comes to the chest thumping bass...and honestly in live music / musicals theatre etc.

The immersive feel of Dolby Atmos: Precision > Immersion - you could point where things were exactly. Definitely what you want for a production environment.

Final Thoughts:
Would have been great to test side-by-side-by-side: 8341s, W371a + 8351a, and 8351a setups (with and without bass management), to really understand the nuances and differences each product / combination brought to the listening experience.

My friend who was with me, who has zero training / experience in critical listening said, with a smile on his face to one of the K-Pop songs we listened to "I've never heard this song like this before". This comment alone made me realise how much I take this stuff for granted, and what I am able to come home to.

Thanks

 

[Mort]

Some notes from Erin's Audio Corner about the 8361a

"
For the most part this speaker is textbook. Textbook linearity and directivity.

That said, the data does indicate this speaker has better performance in the nearfield. This is due to some effects in the upper midrange at ~2.5kHz. I'd initially say this is diffraction but I wonder if it's not some modal breakup. But given the amplitude and narrow Q, I wouldn't stress this. Though it's benign, it does impact the directivity. Under this kind of microscope things look worse. If you look at the SPL Horizontal graphic you can see that as you increase the off-axis angle from 0 to 30° the upper midrange is lower by about 1dB.

The upper HF looks to have some diffraction that smooths out off-axis. It's worth noting that most coaxial designs benefit from some off-axis aiming. Usually in the neighborhood of 10-20° for farfield listening but in this case I'd say some slight off-axis aiming, maybe about 5°, is adequate. Of course, YMMV.

There is a ~2dB dip in the midrange around 200Hz. Possibly a resonance of some sort but I do wonder if it's not crossover related, given the change in group delay around this frequency.

The DI is practically linear other than the shift around 300Hz which aligns roughly with the stated 320Hz crossover of the (2) oval midwoofers to the 5-inch midrange."

 

[Pearljam5000]

Some notes from Erin's Audio Corner about the 8361a

"
For the most part this speaker is textbook. Textbook linearity and directivity.

That said, the data does indicate this speaker has better performance in the nearfield. This is due to some effects in the upper midrange at ~2.5kHz. I'd initially say this is diffraction but I wonder if it's not some modal breakup. But given the amplitude and narrow Q, I wouldn't stress this. Though it's benign, it does impact the directivity. Under this kind of microscope things look worse. If you look at the SPL Horizontal graphic you can see that as you increase the off-axis angle from 0 to 30° the upper midrange is lower by about 1dB.

The upper HF looks to have some diffraction that smooths out off-axis. It's worth noting that most coaxial designs benefit from some off-axis aiming. Usually in the neighborhood of 10-20° for farfield listening but in this case I'd say some slight off-axis aiming, maybe about 5°, is adequate. Of course, YMMV.

There is a ~2dB dip in the midrange around 200Hz. Possibly a resonance of some sort but I do wonder if it's not crossover related, given the change in group delay around this frequency.

The DI is practically linear other than the shift around 300Hz which aligns roughly with the stated 320Hz crossover of the (2) oval midwoofers to the 5-inch midrange."

I wonder if the 8380 measures better